Resiliently supported reclining chair



Dec. 26, 1950 A. E. JOHNSON 2,535,138

RESILIENTLY SUPPORTED RECLINING CHAIR Filed March 12, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 26, 1950 A. E. JOHNSON 2,535,138

RESILIENTLY SUPPORTED RECLINING CHAIR Filed March 12, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIII!IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIJ Patented Dec. 26, 1950 RESILIENTLY SUPPORTED RECLINING CHAIR Arthur E. Johnson, St. Louis, Mo., assignor of forty one-hundredths to Dorothy K. S. Johnson, St. Louis, Mo.

Application March 12, 1945, Serial N 0. 582,217

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in reclining chairs. The objects of my improvements are to provide a simple and economical, stron and durable, compact and light-weight chair of the above type in which the seat and back are freely movable to adapt themselves to the shape and movements of the occupant without manual adjusting and locking devices; to provide for resiliently supporting the seat and back in all positions thereof; to provide for initially varying the resiliency of the supporting means and for adjusting the relative angular positions of the seat and back to suit the comfort of the user; to provide for joint forward and backward oscillatory movement of the seat and back in all positions thereof; to provide for frictionally holding the seat and back in the positions assumed thereby in response to the movements of the occupant; and to obtain other advantages hereinafter appearing. The invention consists in the reclining chair and in the construction, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur,

Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 are side elevational views of a reclining chair embodying my invention, said chair being shown in different positions of adjustment in the several views,

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the chair in the position shown in Fig. 4,

Fig. 6 is a rear elevational view of said chair in the position shown in Fig. 2,

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the change in the shape and position of the supporting elements under the weight of a relatively heavy occupant or under a different weight displacement of the body,

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view on the line 8-8 in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing a modified form of the invention.

My reclining chair construction comp-rises a substantially rectangular horizontal base frame A, including spaced parallel side bars I connected at their front and rear ends by cross bars 2, an upho stered seat B, an upho stered back C, and upwardly and forwardly inclined members D and E, respectively, secured to each of said side bars for supporting said seat and back for downwardly yielding and forward and backward swinging movement relative to said base frame. The supporting member D on each side of the chair preferably comprises a substantially Z-shaped spring plate having a rearwardly extending lower end 2 portion 3 which seats on and is rigidly secured by bolts 4 flatwise to the side bar 8 of the base frame A, a straight forwardly tilted intermediate portion 5 connected to said lower end portion by a curved portion 6 and a forwardly and upwardly inclined upper end portion 7 connected to said straight intermediate portion by a curved portion 8. The other supporting member E on each side of the chair comprises a straight, substantially rigid forwardly tilted plate which hasa horizontal pivotal connection at its lower end to the side bar I, said connection preferably comprising a strap hinge 9 which is permanently connected to said end of said member and is removably connected by means of bolts It to said side bar. The securing bolts id for the non-resilient supporting member E and the securing bolts 5 for the resilient supporting member D are adapted to be inserted in the desired bolt holes ll of a series that are formed in and spaced apart longitudinally of the side bar I, whereby said supportnig members may be shifted longitudinally of said side bar to vary the angle of inclination of said non-resilient member and the resiliency of said resilient member.

Supported on the forwardly and upwardly inclined upper end i of each of the resilient supporting members D is a substantially rigid L- shaped seat and back supporting member F comprising a straight, rearwardly extending portion [2 and a straight depending front end portion l3. The rearwardly extending portion 12 of the L-shaped member F is rigidly secured to the resilient supporting member D preferably by bolts 14 having sleeves thereon for spacing said rearwardly extending portion of said L-shaped membar above the forwardly and upwardly inclined upper end portion l of said resilient support. The depending front end portion it of the L- shaped member F overhangs the upper end portion of the forwardly and upwardly inclined non-resilient supporting member E and is pivotally secured to the upper end thereof preferably by means of a strap hinge it which is permanently secured to member E and is. removably secured to said L-shaped member by bolts IS. A sufficient number of holes ll for the bolts l6 are spaced apart longitudinally of the depending front leg it of the L-shaped member F so as to permit the hinge l5 to be shifted upwardly and downwardly relative thereto. A suitable arm rest It seats on and is secured fiatwise to the rearwardly extending top portion 52 of the L-shaped member F preferably by means of a bolt lea and the bolts M which secure said portion to the upper end of the resilient support D. The depending front end portion of the L- shaped member on each side of the chair terminates at its lower end in a rearwardly extending lug l3a; and the lugs of the L-shaped supports on the two sides of the chair are connected by a horizontal cross rod is which has a roller 23 journaled thereon. The seat B has metal wear plates 21 that are rigidly secured to the bottom thereof and extend substantially from front to back thereof. The wear plates 2| are supported on the cross roller 28 and terminate at their front ends in downwardly bent stops 22 which have rubber bumpers 22a secured to the rear faces thereof in position to abut against said roller and thus limit the rearward movement of said seat thereon. Stops 23 are also secured to the metal wear plates H of the seat B rearwardly of the seat supporting rollers 26 for limiting the forward movement of said seat thereon.

The roller supported bottom wear plates 2! of the seat B project rearwardly therefrom where they are connected by a cross bar 2 whose ends are bent upwardly at right angles to provide upstanding arms 25, each having a plurality of horizontal pivot holes 25a. therethrough adja cent to the upper ends thereof. The upstanding arms 25 of the seat B have their upper ends connected to the lower end of the back C by horizontal pivots 25 that pass through any one of the pivot holes 25a in said arms. The seat B is connected at its rear end to the L-shaped supporting members F by means of levers 2? which are secured by horizontal pivots 28 to upstanding lugs 29 rigidly secured to the rearwardly extending top portions 92 of said L-shaped members adjacent to the rear ends thereof. The lower arms of the levers 2? are connected by horizontal pivots 35! to the upstanding arms 25 carried by the seat B at the rear end thereof, these connections being located below the pivots as that connect said arms to the lower end of the back C. The levers 2'! are provided with groups of holes 28a and 3th: for the pivots 28 and 38, respectively, so that said pivots may be shifted to vary the angular relationship of said levers and the seat B and support F may be varied. The upper arms of the levers 2? are rigidly connected together by means of a horizontal cross bar 3!, which is located rearwardly of the back C between the upper and lower ends thereof and serves to slidably support said back between the upper and lower ends thereof. As shown in the drawings, the back C has two wear plates 32 rigidly secured to the rear face thereof that extend substantially from top to bottom thereof and slidably engage the horizontal lever connecting bar 3! The chair may also be provided with a coil tension spring 33 which has one end anchored, as at St, to the rear cross bar 2 of the base frame A and the other end secured to a lug 35 fixed to the underside of a cross-bar 35 extending between the wear plates Zl on the underside of the seat B. The spring 33 exerts a rearward pull on the seat and thus operates to positively return the interconnected seat and back to normal seating position when the chair is vacated.

The hereinbefore described reclining chair has many important advantages. It is strong and durable, light in weight and of simple, economical and compact construction. The inter-connected seat B and back are yieldably sustained by the forwardly tilted resilient members D for movement relative thereto and to each other to adapt themselves to the movement of the occupant and are held in all positions assumed by the occupant by the friction between the cross bar 35 and the wear straps 32 on the rear face of said back. During such movement, the seat B is rockably and slidably supported on the supporting roller as therefor, while the back C is tiltable on the cross bar 2! and slidable forward and backward thereon. The rearward and forward sliding movement of the seat is limited by the stops 22 and 23, respectively, on the wear plates 2% on the bottom of said seat.

The resilient supports D are adapted to swing forwardly and downwardly under the weight of the occupant and have the power of recovery when relieved of such weight; and they are also adapted to sway or rock back and forth in all positions thereof and of the seat B and back C. The rigid forwardly and upwardly inclined hinge plates E swing with resilient supports D and serve to confine the forward and backward swinging movement thereof to a circular are described from the points of pivotal connection between the lower ends of said hinged plates and the base frame A. When the occupant leans backward in the chair to assume a reclining or recumbent position, the movement of the body causes the seat B to slide forwardly on its supporting roller 28 and the back C to slide forwardly on the cross bar 3|. When the body reaches a substantially supine position, the supporting surfaces of the seat B and back C are in substantial alinernent and the roller 2d and cross bar iii are in position to afford proper support for said back and seat, respectively. When the chair is vacated, the seat and back are returned to normal seating position by the rearward pull of the spring 33 on the seat.

To suit the shape, weight and size of the occupant, the resilient supports D and the hinged supports E may be bodily adjusted forward and backward on the base frame A, the hinge connections l5 at the upper ends of said hinged supports may be raised or lowered relative to the L-shaped supporting member F and the location of the pivots 26, 28 and 3&3 may be varied. As apparent from Fig. 4, the arrangements of parts also permit the chair to be placed with its back close to the wall without interfering with the full range of movement of the back.

The modified construction shown in Fig. 9 is similar to the construction hereinbefore described, except that in the construction shown in Fig. 9, coil tension springs D are substituted for the resilient supports D and supporting members E are located back of and parallel to the supporting members E with their lower ends pivoted, as at 9a, to the base frame A and with their upper ends pivoted, as at lea, to the rearwardly extending top portions of the l...-shaped supporting mem bers F. The coil tension springs D are connected by bolts 4a to the side rails i of the base frame A at points rearwardly of the hinged lower ends of the forwardly tilted members E and are connected at their upper ends by bolts lib to the L-shaped member F just rearwardly of the upper ends of said tilted members. By this arrangement, the rigid forwardly tiled hinge bars E and E serve to support the seat B and back C for forward and backward swinging movement about the hinged lower ends of said bars, while the coil tension springs D serve to yieldably resist such movement and return said seat and back to normal position when relieved of the weight of the occupant. The securing bolts M for the lower ends of the coil springs D' are adapted to extend through any one of the longitudinal series of holes II in the side rails I of the base member A, while the securing bolts Mb for the upper end of said springs may be engaged with any one of a longitudinal series of holes 140 in the rearwardly extending portions of the L- shaped members F, thus permitting the tension and inclination of said springs to be varied.

Obviously, the hereinbefore described reclining chair construction admits of considerable modification without departing from the invention. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the precise construction shown and described.

What I claim is;

1. A reclining chair comprising upwardly and forwardly inclined side members pivotally supported at their lower ends for forward and backward swinging movement, upstanding spring plate members located rearwardly of said side members and having fixed lower ends and free upper ends located adjacent to the upper ends of said side members, supporting members secured to the upper ends of said side members and said spring plate members, said supporting members having upper portions that extend rearwardly of the upper end portions of said spring plate members and depending front end portions located in front of said side members, a seat movably supported from the depending front end portions of said supporting members, a back movably supported from the rear end portions of the rearwardly extending top portions of said supporting member, and connections between said seat and back providing for joint forward and backward movement thereof.

2. A reclining chair comprising upwardly and forwardly inclined side members pivotally supported at their lower ends for forward and backward swinging movement, upstanding spring plate members located rearwardly of said side members and having fixed lower ends and forwardly extending upper end portions located adjacent to the upper ends of said side members, supporting members secured to the upper ends of said side members and said spring plate members, said supporting members having portions depending from their front ends forwardly of said side members, a supporting roller disposed crosswise of said chair and supported by said depending portions of said supporting members, a seat supported on said supporting roller for forward and backward movement thereon, said seat having levers pivotally supported on the rear end portions of said supporting members with their lower ends pivotally connected to said seat, a cross member connecting the upper ends of said levers, and a back slidably supported on said cross member and pivotally connected at its lower end to said seat.

3. A reclining chair comprising upwardly and forwardly inclined side members pivotally supported at their lower ends for forward and backward swinging movement, upstanding spring plate members located rearwardly of said side members and having fixed lower ends and forwardly extending upper end portions located adjacent to the upper ends of said side members,

supporting members pivotally secured to the upper ends of said side members and rigidly secured to the upper ends of said spring plate membersfsaid supporting members having portions depending from their front ends forwardly of said side members, a supporting roller disposed crosswise of said chair and supported by said depending portions of said supporting members, a seat supported on said supporting roller for rocking and forward and backward movement thereon, said seat having upwardly extending arms rigid therewith at the rear end thereof, levers pivotally supported on the rear end portions of said supporting members with their lower ends pivotally connected to said arms, a cross member connecting the upper ends of said levers, and a back slidably supported on said cross member and pivotally connected at its lower end to said arms.

4. A reclining chair comprising upwardly and forwardly inclined side members pivotally supported at their lower ends for forward and backward swinging movement, upstanding spring plate members located rearwardly of said side members and having fixed lower ends and forwardly extending upper end portions located adjacent to the upper ends of said side members, supporting members pivotally secured to the upper ends of said side members and rigidly secured to said spring plate members, said supporting members having portions depending from their front ends forwardly of said side members, a supporting roller disposed crosswise of said chair and supported by said depending portions of said supporting members, a seat supported on said supporting roller for rocking and forward and backward movement thereon, stops on said seat and cooperable with said roller for limiting the forward and backward movement of said seat thereon, said seat having upwardly extending arms rigid therewith at the rear end thereof, levers pivotally supported on the rear end portions of said supporting members with their lower ends pivotally connected to said arms, a cross member connecting the upper ends of said levers, and a back slidably supported on said cross member and pivotally connected at its lower end to said arms.

ARTHUR E. JOHNSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 10,779 DePew Nov. 2, 1886 386,142 Lewis July 17, 1888 533,009 Holland et a1. Jan. 22, 1895 1,000,748 Mueller Aug. 15, 1911 1,898,444 Hawkins Feb. 21, 1933 1,936,459 McGowen Nov. 21, 1933 2,080,607 Galante May 18, 1937 2,135,833 Oermann Nov. 8, 1938 2,263,450 Anderson Nov. 18, 1941' FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 229,023 Great Britain Feb. 19, 1925 

